Forever Caged [Complete]

Chapter 26 : Trickery


At the door was Shinda. He was dressed in a deep red button-up silk shirt and tight black jeans. He had his glasses on, unsure of how his silvery eyes would be taken. He was expecting a tall, angry man to answer the door, but was instead greeted by a meek little maid. Shinda smiled sweetly at her, gripping the small case in his hand tighter. "Hello there. Is this Mister Rendell's residence?"

Clarice nodded. "Yes sir." She stepped aside. "Please have a seat. The master will be down shortly." She gestured to a few tall, plush-looking chairs just inside the door. "May I get you anything to drink while you wait?"

Shinda stepped in, eyes darting about quickly. The entire place was cast in shadows, and it made him uneasy. He followed Clarice to the seating area and took a seat closest to the door. "No thanks, I'm fine," he said politely. He waited until she left, set his case on his lap, and quickly sifted through it to make sure everything was in order. 'Arna should be on the other side of the house by now,' he thought. He closed the case again, sighed quietly, and looked closer at the shadows in the room.

Rendell came into the hall, careful not to let the rug catch on his heels. "Why hello there. I wasn't expecting company this early in the morning. How may I help you?"

Arna was looking for where the window had been kicked out and cursed to find it replaced.

Shinda stood quickly and turned to face Rendell. He quickly glanced over the man, then gave him a little smile. He didn't miss the spiked heels or the tight shiny pants hugging the demon's thighs. Just what did he interrupt this man in? "Hi, name's Shinda. Ah...Koumori sent me. Said he had some more information for you." He held up the suitcase so Rendell could see.

Rendell raised his eyebrow. "He forgot to tell me something?" He crossed his arms, becoming suspicious.

"Oh no, this is new," Shinda said. He didn't speak too quickly, and held his other hand out a little ways from his body to show he was harmless. "Some of it's on the requiems, and there's another drug he developed." He was pulling all this information from what Arna had told him, and from those papers he had found in Reyvn's room.

Rendell's eyebrows flew up. "Is that so? Well please, make yourself comfortable." Rendell had quickly warmed up to Shinda.

Elsewhere, Arna was scurrying through the garden, trying to dodge sentry statues. He noticed that one room in particular was better lit than the others. He tried to quietly make his way to it, but it was taking him time.

Reyvn was curled up on the bed, arms wrapped around his stomach. He tried to fight the drug off with everything he had, but it was already picking at his mind. Forcing him to succumb.

Shinda sat down with Rendell, trying to get himself comfortable. He knew he looked relaxed, but inside his mind was racing as he tried to keep up with Rendell's questions. Once he had finished explaining some of the finer points of the drug Koumori had sent and had handed Rendell the papers in his case, he was quiet. He let his eyes wander over the demon's form, letting his glasses slide down his nose a bit. "By the way, may I ask...Did I interrupt you during something?"

Rendell leafed through the papers slowly, examining everything. He shook his head at Shinda's question. "Oh, no, you didn't interrupt anything important." He placed a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. "Oh my, it's getting later than I thought," he said to himself. He was concerned about what he'd do with Reyvn.

Finally, Arna reached the window of the well-lit room. He tried to peer in, but the angle was all wrong. All he could see was the foot of the bed and a boot. He silently wondered why a boot was there when he tried to pull open the window.

Shinda chuckled softly. "I'm sorry. It just...well, it doesn't seem like that's the usual thing to answer the door in," he said, trying to not sound rude as he gestured to Rendell's metal-spiked boots.

Reyvn rolled over on the bed, panting heavily. He was still fighting the drug off, and it was still fighting for hold over his mind. His erection was harder than ever, and was starting to become sore. He heard something at the window, and looked up at it. The distraction made the drug subside a little, and Reyvn's hand reflexively reached for the rumpled sheet. He covered his lower body, not wanting someone to come through the window and see his state. He distantly wondered if it might be Arna.

Arna watched as the boot disappeared and cursed to himself when the window didn't give. When the boot moved, he cursed aloud, thinking he had been caught. He figured he might as well chance the other window.

Rendell examined his boots. "Oh, I was just trying things on from the closet to see if they still fit. I do like these boots." He finished leafing through the papers, and grinned. "Please excuse me. I'm going to borrow these for a bit and I'm going to put them somewhere safe. Do I owe you anything for delivering these?"

Reyvn grunted and grabbed the towel he had dumped on the bed earlier. He wrapped it around his waist, and pushed himself off the bed. He stumbled over to the window and swiftly unlatched it, and opened it up. He poked his head out, looking around.

There still was no sign that Arna had reached Reyvn yet. Dammit, he needed to keep stalling. "Oh, you can keep those," Shinda said, waving his hand like it was nothing. "As for payment...Well, Koumori was telling me you had a little requiem here. I've heard of them, but I've never seen one. If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could let me have a peek?"

Rendell chuckled. "But of course. I'll warn you though, his taste in clothes is rather exotic." He got up and gestured towards the hallway. "Shall we then?"

Arna had almost given up on this room when he saw Reyvn's head above him, and his heart almost flew out of his chest. "Hey! Down here!" he said in a sharp whisper. "We've come to get you out! Help me up!" He reached a hand for Reyvn.

"Arna!" Reyvn almost yelled. He didn't have time to be overjoyed. He stretched his arm out, and grasped Arna's hand. He started pulling the redhead up with whatever strength he had left. A breeze blew through the window, extinguishing two of the candles in the room.

"We shall." Shinda smiled, and stood to follow Rendell. He left the case behind, and slid his hands into his pockets. Dammit, why hadn't Arna busted a window yet? It had been plenty long enough for the boys to get out.

Arna clambered up, then pulled Reyvn into a tight hug. "Reyvn! Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" The shadows in the room shuddered. "Uh-oh," Arna said with a worried expression. "We'd best hurry."

A ripple went down the shadows in the hall coming from Rendell's room. The demon stopped in his tracks, then turn to glare at Shinda. "You're not really here just to deliver this information, are you?"

The strong embrace helped chase the magick of the drug from Reyvn's mind, and he was suddenly able to beat the last traces of it down. He beat them down hard. He noticed the shadows start to flicker with the wild candlelight, then looked to Arna and nodded. "Go," he said, before he started to push Arna back towards the window. He berated himself for not simply jumping out earlier into Arna's arms. Why the hell did he bother pulling the boy through the window? He shook his head at his own stupidity, then decided to blame it on the drug. The wind was picking up outside, and more of it came into the room, snuffing out another candle. Reyvn started to panic, and tried to get both of them out faster.

Shinda stopped when Rendell did, then gave a questioning look, as though he truly did not understand what the demon was talking about. He removed his glasses and flipped them closed, tucking them away. "What do you mean? Something wrong?" He'd seen the shadows shift. He knew Arna had Reyvn now. If he could just buy a little more time, they'd be able to escape.

Rendell bolted for his room without answering Shinda. He threw the door open just in time to see Reyvn sliding out. "Damn it, boy!" he yelled. Two shadows lashed out at Reyvn, pulling him back. He looked out the window to see Arna, and grabbed him by his neck before throwing him into the shadows as well. He went to the last candle and blew it out. Had he known that some had been snuffed earlier, he would have arrived faster.

The shadows pulled both boys hard, spreading their limbs as far as they would go. They were angry that they had been banished before and intended to take their revenge out on Reyvn and Arna.

Reyvn looked up in terror when the door flew open, and tried to jump out the window. He shrieked when the shadows grabbed him, and tried to wrap his hands around the edge of the window frame. When that didn't work, he resorted to just struggling, making the towel around his waist start to slip. He whimpered, pulling hard at the tentacles, but they didn't give.

Shinda cursed, then dashed after the demon. He stopped in the doorway, watching the scene. He cursed at himself for not being able to stall longer, and braced his hands on the door frame. He figured the shadows would go after him next. His back tensed up, preparing for a fight. He looked between Arna and Reyvn, but made no expression that he knew them. He had to keep himself free. "Well well, what's going on here?"

Rendell readjusted himself and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "It would seem my slave tried to escape. And this boy here was helping him." He turned to face Shinda. "The one over there is the requiem. Now, if you please, I must take care of this. I'll have Clarice show you out."

Shinda locked eyes with Reyvn, then grinned at him. Reyvn made a confused face, then gasped when he recognized the man from the images in the pond. He tried to remain quiet. Shinda turned his grin to Rendell, then shook his head slowly. "Sorry, I can't leave just yet. You see, there's a little problem."

Rendell tensed, as did the shadows. The sudden tightness made Arna still. Rendell looked to Shinda, and asked, "What problem would that be?"

Shinda chuckled. "You understand that requiems don't appreciate being made into slaves, yes? Well, the fact of the matter is-" he paused, and two bursts of flame shot from his back, turning into bright fiery wings. "-I'm going to kill you." He rushed at Rendell, grabbed the man around the collar of his shirt, and sent a punch flying for his face.

Rendell was caught off guard, and he felt his face go numb with the force of the punch. A tentacle came up behind Shinda and wrapped itself around his waist, squeezing hard while another made to sweep him off his feet.

Shinda's wings grew and brightened, crackling as embers flew off their edges. One touched the shadow around his waist and destroyed it, and he made to pounce on Rendell. "No cheating now!"

Rendell's boot caught Shinda's hip, tearing his jeans. He still couldn't dodge the angry man's attack and fell down under him with a grunt. He swung the palm of his hand up, aiming for Shinda's chin.

Shinda winced when the spiked heel grazed his hip and tore a hole in his pants, and narrowly dodged the blow to the chin. He used one hand to backhand Rendell before bringing one arm back to bury its fist into the demon's gut.

Rendell grunted, glad he hadn't removed his corset yet. A shadow came up behind Shinda and dragged him off, allowing him to get up. "Where do you get off coming into my home, and telling me what I can do with my servants!" he yelled as he kicked Shinda hard in the stomach.

Shinda's eyes widened when he felt his fist hit something like armor. He grunted as the shadow yanked him away, and used his wings to fight it off. He'd gotten rid of it just in time to have a sharp boot planted in his stomach. "Gah!" he yelled when the spike made a shallow puncture. He stumbled back and held a hand up to face Rendell, and fire snaked its way down to his palm from his wings. "You don't get it yet? I'm a requiem too." He released the fire, sending an angry roaring ball at the demon.

The fireball hit Rendell hard and burned his shirt away. Part of his corset scorched and he screamed in rage. He dove for Shinda again, sending punches sailing through the air. "I don't care who you are! I bought the boy, and he is under my custody for the time being!" He sent another kick at the fiery requiem. "I'll do as I damn well please!"

Shinda was able to dodge and block most of the punches, but the few that did land were going to leave serious bruises. He saw the kick coming, and jumped back just at the last second. "Not to one of us!" he growled. His wings splayed out, beating the shadows back and eating the few that dared come near. He aimed another fireball at Rendell, his eyes starting to glow white.

Rendell leaped forward and aimed a kick at Shinda's face. "One of you or not, he is mine!" His kick was negated by the fireball, leaving red marks up and down his arms and chest, and burned half of his corset off. It fell, and he inhaled deeply, suddenly filled with more energy now that he had more air. The darkness danced and waved Arna and Reyvn like flags, as if cheering for the fight.

Reyvn was going to be sick if the shadows kept waving him around. He watched the fight, uncertain of who would win. He couldn't believe Shinda was another requiem; he was so...different from himself. He tried forcing his own wings to appear to try and eat the shadows, but still they did not emerge. He cursed, and kept trying while Shinda battled the demon.

Shinda watched everything carefully, then slowly started to edge his way towards the boys. "Not for much longer," he said lowly. He raised his hand again, another fireball starting to form.

It took all of two seconds for Rendell to figure out what was going on. "Stay away from them!" As if in warning, one of the shadows pulled Arna's arm out of its socket, and he screamed. "Stay away or I'll rip them to shreds."

Shinda stilled and narrowed his eyes, shuddering slightly at Arna's scream. "Fine." He adjusted his aim a little, and shot the fire towards Rendell's head. He was actually glad the boys weren't far behind the demon.

Rendell stood in the way of the fireball and took it, letting the ends of his hair singe. He was grateful for his fire tolerance, since he would not let Shinda's fire touch the shadows holding the boys. Arna's other arm was yanked from its socket and he screamed again, tears streaming down his face.

Shinda frowned, wincing at Arna's cry. "Either you're smarter or dumber than I thought. It's hard to tell with you." He growled, then ran to pounce on Rendell again, fire wrapping around his hands.

Rendell grabbed Shinda's hands, and winced as they burned him. His foot tried once again to find Shinda's stomach, but he was knocked off balance, and he found himself under the angry man.

Shinda pushed the flame to Rendell's body, snaking it around the demon. He broke his hold as soon as the demon's grip loosened, and rolled over him and got up near the boys. He moved under Arna and flared his wings, dispelling the shadows. He caught the sobbing redhead and set him down, but couldn't keep Reyvn from colliding with the floor.
Reyvn landed with a yelp and a thud, and thought he hurt his ankle. He ignored it, and crawled quickly over to Arna.

Shinda turned to face Rendell again, shielding the boys with his wings. His hands caught fire again, as if in warning.

Rendell glared, his eyes glowing orange. With a snarl, he dove at Shinda, flanked by a dozen tentacles with sharpened tips. He collided with Shinda, not willing to give it up, despite his body screaming in pain from all the burns he received.

Shinda's wings flared further, and he wrapped them around his body to shield from Rendell's enraged attack. He was knocked to the floor by the blow, but the wings burned and ate anything that touched them. He tried bracing both feet against Rendell's stomach to shove him off.

Reyvn grabbed Arna and held him close, trying to drag him back towards the open window. The sun was rising, and even though it was on the other side of the house, light still seeped into the room.

Rendell flew off Shinda with a loud "Oof!" He rebounded, then kicked Shinda square in the head.

Shinda rolled up when Rendell flew off, and did not see the foot in time. It collided with the side of his head, and the last things he saw before he blacked out were sparks.

Reyvn clung to Arna, staying near the window. Gods, now what could he do? Both people who had come to save him had been incapacitated, and Rendell was raving mad. If the demon decided to go to bed for the day, things might turn out okay, but as it was they were all in for a lot more pain.